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How to deal with closing questions at interview |
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Leaving the interviewer with the right picture is a vital step toward securing a job offer. That means being able to handle the questions in the last 5 minutes of the interview with a skilled, planned approach.
Search the internet and you’ll find mixed advice about how to close an interview. We asked a group of employers for the typical questions they ask and what they expect in a good answer.
If offered, will you take the job?
The consistent recommendation is to be enthusiastic and positive. You can go away and reflect later on whether you want the opportunity but above all, be enthusiastic in the meeting. Even if you think you don't want the job, keep your options open at this stage. Employers are looking to judge your level of commitment – if they put an offer out to you and you don’t accept it looks bad on their part.
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Make ‘How you say it’ count |
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Effective communication consists of what you say and how you say it. Interviewers will often actually place more emphasis on the ‘how’, often without realising it.
By ‘how you say it’ I mean how you express yourself. This means your body language, confidence, manners and general approach. For example, asking a question at the start of the interview, irrespective of what the question is, shows confidence and a keen interest. This has just as much impact as smiling.
Mastering this approach is not beyond you. You need to:
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Take the initiative to shake hands and introduce yourself, rather than be asked
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Enter the room confidently
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Sit down only when invited to
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Mirror the body language if you can. At least ensure you don’t fidget, slouch or fold your arms.
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Why you must persevere with recruiters |
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Only on the odd occasion do you find people who extol the virtues of recruitment consultants. The funny thing is it’s the same few people who seem to get all the luck when it comes to job hunting.
If you ruled out the prospect of using or have an ingrained negative view of recruiters, you could well be hindering your job hunt. Consider the basics:
Why do they exist?
Recruiters are paid to fill jobs for their clients (employers). Employers know advertising can be costly and managing the response time consuming. It is far easier to give the job to a consultant and then review 3 or 4 CVs rather than having to filter 200 inappropriate ones.
As the recruiter becomes more familiar with an employer, they get an unrivalled insight into the needs and preferences that influence hiring decisions. A successful recruiter will become a trusted advisor for a hiring manager and the first port of call when a vacancy arises.
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What is commercial awareness and how do you develop it? |
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From lawyers to shop-assistants, marketing executives to HR managers, candidates that are business-savvy often get the job. The trouble with commercial awareness is the term itself. It sounds scary and if you run a quick search online, you’ll get 50 different views as quick as Jack Robinson.
Well, it’s not as scary as it sounds.
Why? There’s no killer definition so don’t worry about searching for it. Commercial awareness is a broad concept meaning different things to different people. The general ethos is having knowledge of how issues affect each other, leading to the ability to identify tactics that move a business forward. Sensible definitions include:
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How an organisation attracts and keeps customers and what impact the wider economy has on that particular business.
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An interest in business and an understanding of the wider environment in which an organisation operates: its customers, competitors and suppliers.
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The purpose of your CV is simple; to get you the interview. To do this you need to consider two things. Firstly the structure – is it presented professionally, ordered correctly using suitable headings helping an employer to instantly spot the information they need. Secondly, the content – how do you structure sentences, what language do you use, is it concise and do you demonstrate achievement and value?
Having reviewed thousands of CVs it’s clear many have structural issues. This is a simple error easily fixed by following a few simple guidelines. Generating the content can be tough; following a sensible structure for your CV should be easy.
Whilst I’m not an advocate of templated CV’s, there are only so many sections an employer wants to read, so try following the below and tailor for your situation:
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Interview coach: dealing with situational questions |
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A good interviewer knows the importance of asking questions that require you to think on the spot. Often referred to as situational, competency based or behavioural question, the employer is attempting to see your skills and attitudes in action. This is clearly a much better technique than just asking you to name your skills, so you can understand why interviewers do this.
The problem for us, the interviewees, is how do we prepare for a random question? We talked to James Rudall, Managing Director of Conversion Consulting (a leading outsourced inside-sales company), to get under the skin of what the interviewer wants:
What is your most important interview question?
How would you calculate the number of petrol stations in central London? Candidates are told they may use the whiteboard and if required, involve all the people in the room.
Why do you ask this quite bizarre question?
We want to understand how a candidate reacts to a pressure scenario, given they are not warned before-hand. Do they stumble and waffle? Or do they step up to the challenge and attempt to find an answer.
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